Showing posts with label sprouts. Show all posts

Day 21: Pita Sandwiches

Anyone who knows me knows I AM NOT a baker! This comes from despising exact measurements. This is why I failed math....1/4 is close to 1/3.....1,that's just 1 away from 2, that's close...what's the difference? I also can't stand following recipes exactly. It cramps my creative flowage. For most recipes I just read the recipe, get a general idea what it's supposed to taste like and then I let the buds lead. I go to the fridge and see what I have that would work and wait like everyone else to see what comes out at the end. I guess you could say I like surprises. This is why I'm a cook, not a baker.

Baking requires the letter of the law....I'm more of a spirit of the law kind of gal, if you know what I mean. This of course, has gotten me in trouble from time to time. For example, we were having the LDS missionaries over for dinner. One had previously mentioned that he loved Utah scones (ya, they're actually called that. To the rest of the world scones are more of a biscuit thing...I guess Utah's just a little different...in more than one way). Having been a missionary myself, I knew what it meant to have some comfort food every once in a while so I decided to make some. Well, after adding a pinch of this and a dash of that they were flat gobs of goo....this signaled they needed more flour, which made them hard rocks of goo. I thought they would soften as they cooked in the oil, so into the pan they went where 4 "scones" quickly soaked up ruffly a 1/2 quart of oil. The missionaries had just arrive so I had no choice but to serve them. One bite and oil came squirting out. The missionaries insisted they were delicious but I quickly took them back to the kitchen vowing to never bake again!

This is why Matthew is the baker at our house. Matthew is THE baker man - I love to watch him in the kitchen! rar! He makes these great pita pockets from a no-fail recipe for wheat bread. We've had some amazing meals with these pockets. This is just one to wet your whistle.

Pita Sandwiches
1 pita per person
1 can garbanzo beans
sliced cucumber
1 carrot
sprouts
sunflower seeds
green onion
cabbage
cherry tomatoes
Homemade hummus or veganaise

Slice in half, toast, and open your pitas, Lather the inside with hummus (yum, you could stop right there). Now, in a food processor place everything but the sprouts and cherry tomatoes. Pulse once or twice just to chop everything but leave it chunky. Slice the tomatoes in half. Fill your pocket with the mixture and slip in a few tomato halves and sprouts. Can you just feel the raw goodness?
cabbage carrot cherry tomatoes
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Day 16: Open Face Sandwiches

On the north shore of Hawaii there is a little surf town called Haleiwa. It's a great little tourist town with shops, restaurants, and a great dive shop. There is also a health food store that has a fantastic restaurant in the back. The people are friendly and the food is delicious. The menu consists of lively dishes, most of which are the "chefs" own concoctions. The chef, a friendly surfer bum, who only has a job to support his surfing habit; willingly talks with patrons as he cooks in the small 10 ft x 5 ft kitchen.

While there we had some superb open face vegan sandwiches and I was hooked! I like them on a bagel because of the chewiness but Matthew prefers something a bit more crispy....I suppose its his endearment to Swedish cracker bread coming out. But, however you like it, this is a great way to get in your raw veggies and enjoy them in the process.

Open Face Sandwiches
wheat bagels sliced and toasted
1 cucumber sliced
1 carrot shredded
sprouts
veganaise or hummus
sunflower seeds
2 green onions chopped
shredded cabbage
1 tomato sliced

Toast the bagel and spread with veganaise or hummus. Layer with carrots, sprouts, cucumber, tomato, cabbage, sunflower seeds and green onion. This is messy. Some of the toppings will fall off but be sure to eat all your veggies!
cabbage carrot cucumber
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Day 10: Meatloaf Sandwiches

At our house, meatloaf was usually an after thought. If we had leftovers that needed to be used up and meat in the house we'd put them together and kill two birds with one stone so to speak. But on one occasion we killed more than that.


My grandmother, whom I adore, is a bit of an insomniac. As a child this came in handy because whenever there was a problem in the middle of the night, boogy men and the like, she was always right there. But on one evening we were all wishing grandma would have gotten some sleep. One night, while watching insomniac tv she came across a "miracle herb" that would turn any meatloaf into a feast for a king. Being completely dazzled because of her lack of sleep she ordered it on the spot.


She spoke of her purchase for days and promised that when it came we were having meatloaf. Well, you can imagine our excitement to be having meatloaf that wasn't some concoction thought up by Mr. Wizard! We rushed home from school every day with eagerness to see if the miracle had arrived, and one day....it had!


My grandmother, brother, and I anxiously entered the kitchen, scrubbed up and put on our gowns as we prepared for this delicate operation of preparing meatloaf. We mixed the seasonings par the instructions, gently folded in the ground beef and, as if putting a babe to sleep, slipped it into the oven with loving care.


As it baked we seemed like new mothers, checking in on it every few seconds, dashing to it to make sure no one opened the oven and when it was finally done, pulling it out and looking lovingly at what we had so pleasantly created.



The family gathered round the table, the blessing was said, and grandma did the honors of serving each their long awaited slice of loaf. We also waited as she took the first bite. Then we all commenced. After one bite we all looked at each other in disgust. My brother was the first to speak, "tastes like road kill." Not exactly the response my grandmother was hoping for but, being in agreement, she went to the kitchen to find a last minute substitute. I actually don't think we have had meatloaf since.


Now that I'm the head chef in our kitchen I realize how great it is to have meatloaf around. And, how delicious leftovers are. We had these meatloaf sandwiches last night and Matthew insisted that they were some of the best sandwiches he'd ever had. So pull out your left over - leftover meatloaf, slice it up, grill it up and eat it up.


Meatloaf Sandwiches
leftover meatloaf
rolls
leaf lettuce
1 tomato sliced
sprouts
red onion sliced
mustard
veginase/mayo
chili sauce or ketchup

Slice your meatloaf about 1/2 an inch thick. Heat it up in a pan with some oil till its brown on both sides. Place on a roll with a leaf of lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, sprouts, mustard, veginase, and chili sauce. And there you have a FANTASTIC meatloaf sandwich, completely roadkill free!
chili sauce left overs lettuce
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